The Tale of Sciatica and and the Fire Drill

So yesterday, at my midwife appointment, I described this shooting bain in my left buttock to the nurse. She diagnosed me with sciatics, which is essentially a pinched nerve in my leg that really can only improve with exercises and physical therapy. So last night, as I prepared to do some yoga and the exercises, the pain was so bad that I yelped and yelped and was stuck standing in the middle of the room. Eventually, when M. finally got back inside from playing music, I was squinchy-faced and sitting in a pile on the couch. He had to take me up stairs, as every step shot pain into my back like I have NEVER felt.

It will be no surprize to many of you, that I had a business trip to go on today. I arrived early enough to get a short nap in while waiting for my colleagues to retrieve me for our meeting this evening. As promised in the title, this is where the fire drill comes in. Sure enough, a loud piercing scream from the speakers in the room and hallway were a rude awakening from the REM I had just reached. I shot out of my room with my coat (it is 13 degrees in Nebraska)and ran around the hallways looking for an exit. The maids had shut all the hallway dors that led to exits, so myself, and two other hotel guests ran around trying to find an exit, any exit. The signs read nowhere, and then I was forced to run down 7 flights of stairs (my butt on FIRE, but adrenaline surging into me to save my life) into the FREEZING cold afternoon. By then, people were heading back INTO the hotel, as this was apparently a false alarm. Someone had PULLED the alarm. IN A HILTON!!! C'mon! Please! What kind of jackass does something like that!?!

Now I will be really pretty for my meeting this afternoon. Sigh.

I just consummed a family-sized bag of M&Ms. Boy oh boy am I in trouble...

My back is on fire.

I was forced to lift some heavy things yesterday for work and pulled ALL KINDS OF MUSCLES in my back. Boo. Sad. The worst thing is, I am not allowed to take any medication, so I shall be forced to deal with the pain as-is. UG.

The prospect of spending the next 32 weeks free of all pain killers, alcohol, caffeine, and cleaning supplies is very alien to me. I can't lift anything. I can't clean the litterbox. Hey, wait...maybe this is not as bad as I thought....

Food sucks. Blargh. Why must one eat to survive? It is a cruel trick of nature. :(

We heard a heartbeat!

But this little creature looks like an ear. Is this a preview of what is to come? Will this child be born an enormous ear? With nick names at school like "Dumbo" or "Kid that looks like an ear"?

NAUSEA

This has got to be the worst part of this whole experience. I cannot even think about food without dry heaving. A friend of mine invited me over for dinner in a few nights, and I remember thinking "Whatever it is, please do not make squash (lurch)...anything but (lurch) squash!" Well guess what? We are having butternut squash and beet soup! Oh boy! With Pumpkin pie for dessert. Had this been any other time in my life, I would have happily gorged on said vittles, but two vareities of squash at one sitting is almost more than I can take right now.

And she is such a good cook too. HRMPH! MORNING SICKNESS GO AWAY!!!

I also am having issues not telling people that I am pregnant. I had no clue I would feel a certain amount of fear in telling people. I mean, this is a major life-changing event. Once you have that baby, things are never the same. I suppose it does not help that most of my friends are not at a point in their lives that they are even thinking about having children. So what do I do? Will those friendships survive the test of parenthood? I really hope so. I have only told those folks closest to me. I don't want to be the froo froo soccer mom that we all make fun of. I want to be the cool mom that still has a life outside of her chilluns. Sigh. That is all.